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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Toasted Meringue
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5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe with Toasted Meringue Icing

This easy Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe with Toasted Meringue adds healthy pumpkin puree to a boxed cake mix and will be ready in minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes
25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 237kcal
Author: Candi Elm

Equipment

  • Blow Torch

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) (15 oz)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 3 eggs

Meringue Frosting

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and add liners to a muffin tin
  • In a large bowl, whisk the dry cake mix and the pie spice together until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree and the yogurt. Mix on low speed until blended then, turn up the speed of the mixer to med-high speed and beat for 2 more minutes.
  • Spoon the batter into the cupcake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done and a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and cool slightly before turning the cupcake out onto a board or counter.

Make the meringue

  • In a large bowl, combine the egg whites, the sugar and the cream of tartar. Put the bowl over the top of a sauce pan with simmering water and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Make sure water from the steam does not get into the egg whites.
  • Remove the bowl from the heat and continue to beat the eggs whites with a mixer on med-high speed.
  • Put the meringue in a pastry bag that has been fitted with a very large star tip.
  • When the cupcakes are cool, pipe the meringue onto each cupcake.
  • Brown the meringue with a creme brûlée torch or place the cupcakes under a 400 degree oven until the meringue is toasted.

Notes

I use a piping bag and a large star tip to add lots of ridges in the icing to be “toasted.”
The piping bag is not necessary.  You can just spoon on the meringue with a spoon or make your own piping bag by filling a large zip-top bag with meringue and then cutting a small piece of one of the corners off of the bag.
Be sure to start by cutting a very small corner off, you can always cut more of the bag away, but you can’t make the hole smaller if you cut away too much.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 5593IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2mg